Scary Bible IV // Will You Do Your Part?

A message by Dr. Mark Jordan, Pastor

God’s generosity invites our generosity.

• When we each do our part — with our time, skills, and resources — God’s family flourishes.

Comparison Kills Generosity.

• 2 Corinthians 12:8 (NLT) | Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.

GOD’s Kingdom Runs on Grace, not Fairness.

• God doesn’t ask for equal gifts — only equal willingness.

Matthew 20:1-16 (NIV) | “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. ³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ ⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ ⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ ¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Digging Deeper

• The landowner (God) kept inviting people to join in His work.
• There is urgency, so everyone receives the same reward: a full day’s wage.
• This isn’t a story about fairness — it’s about generosity.
• The only ones unhappy are those who compared instead of celebrated.

God is generous and we are called to be generous, too.

Your part matters — take your next step toward radical generosity.

• 2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV) | Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
• [Stair-Step Diagram]

Mission: HOPE

• In God’s vineyard, generosity isn’t about what we have — it’s about what we’re willing to give.
• When each of us does our part, God does more than we could ever imagine.

Reflection Questions

1. Where is God inviting me to “join His vineyard” — to give, serve, or share more freely?
2. What keeps me from being more generous with my money, time, or abilities?
3. How has God been generous to me, and how can I reflect that to others?
4. What’s my next step toward tithing or faithful giving?
5. How could our church change if every person simply did their part in generosity?